Participant Map

At least 272 backyards are part of the Neighborhood Nestwatch program. They range from downtown urban areas to rural farmlands.

Human Impact on the Land

Whatever mode of transportation we employ in our daily routines, it is difficult to visualize the full environmental impact of increased human population and resultant land-use development. Birds-eye views like those from a plane or satellite, however, lend a better sense of these incremental effects.

The participant map above is derived from satellite images and quickly demonstrates the squeeze land-use development is putting on wildlife habitat. Moreover, when interpreted as a mosaic of many land uses, the map highlights the importance every Nestwatch backyard can have in providing quality habitat.

We know that the focal Nestwatch species occur in certain regions of the U.S. within urban/suburban/rural land use gradients. What we need to know is how well these species survive in these different environments so that land-use planners can make well-informed management decisions.

Nestwatch collects information on the physical environment unique to each backyard and integrates it with data on bird biology to help determine which environmental features support or deter each target species.